an eStudio tutorial

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO

FOR MAC

Dropbox is a free cloud-based service that allows you to store and access your saved photos, documents, and videos from any computer or smartphone.

You can also invite people to your Dropbox folders in order to share fi les with them.

Dropbox gives you 2 GB of free storage and is an easier and more effi cient alternative to emailing fi les to yourself, using a flash drive, or using GoogleDocs.

WHAT IS DROPBOX?

To download Dropbox, go to https://www.dropbox.com/Feel free to watch the video. When you’re finished,

click on to begin the download.

The program should appear in your “Downloads” window.

1. DOWNLOAD

Once the program finishes downloading, double click on it and the application window will appear.

Drag and drop the blue box into your Applications folder.

1. DOWNLOAD

To install Dropbox, go to your Applications folder and double click on the Dropbox icon.

2. INSTALL

2. INSTALL

Select “I don’t have a Dropbox account” and click Continue.

2. INSTALL

Create an account by providing your fi rst name, last name, email, password, and computer name. Agree to the Terms of Service by selecting it and click Continue.

For easy installation, select “Use previous settings (recommended)” and click Continue.

2. INSTALL

Once the installation is finished, Dropbox provides a 5-page tutorial. Feel free to read this to get more familiar with the program.

2. INSTALL

The blue Dropbox icon will appear in the top right corner of your menu bar, as shown by the green arrow. This is how you can easily access your fi les from your desktop.

2. INSTALL

Click on the blue Dropbox icon and then select “Open Dropbox Folder.” Dropbox now appears like any other folder on your computer and is listed under your “Places” menu.

3. DESKTOP ACCESS

Add a new folder by clicking on the Gear menu and selecting “New Folder.”

3. DESKTOP ACCESS

An “untitled folder” will appear with a blue cycle symbol; this means that Dropbox is in the process of creating the folder. Wait until this turns to a green arrow; this means that Dropbox has finished updating.

Highlight the folder, hold down the Function (“fn”) key and click the folder to change its name.

You can now save and drag fi les into your Dropbox folders.

3. DESKTOP ACCESS

To share a folder, select the folder you want to share. Click the Dropbox icon menu and select “Share This Folder…”. This will take you to the Dropbox website. It will automatically log you in with your account.

4. SHARING

4. SHARING

Once on the Dropbox website, enter the email addresses of the “collaborators” you want to share the folder with. You can enter a personal message if you want. Then click “Share folder.”

This will send an email invitation. The recipients will be invited to download Dropbox. Every collaborator will now have access to this folder.

Because Dropbox is cloud-based, you can access your fi les from any computer. Go to https://www.dropbox.com/ and select “Log in” in the top right corner. Enter your account info.

5. ONLINE ACCESS

To upload a fi led online, under the “Files” tab select “Upload.”

5. ONLINE ACCESS

Select the folder you want to upload a fi le to. Click “Choose fi les” and find the fi le you want to share on your computer. Once you have added all of your desired fi les, click “Start upload.”

5. ONLINE ACCESS

Once your fi le has finished loading, it will appear in that folder both online and on your computer.

5. ONLINE ACCESS

You can also share a folder from the website. Click the “Sharing” tab and click “Share a folder.” Select whether to create a new folder or use an existing folder. Enter the email addresses of collaborators and a personal message if desired.

5. ONLINE ACCESS

Finally, you can share individual fi les with people without inviting them to an entire folder and requiring them to download Dropbox. Every Dropbox automatically comes with a Public folder.

Drag the fi le you want to share into the Public folder.

6. PUBLIC FOLDER

Click the Dropbox icon menu and select “Copy Public Link.” You can now paste the link into an email, Facebook message, website, blog, or anywhere else.

6. PUBLIC FOLDER

It is best not to work on the exact same document at the exact same time with Dropbox; otherwise someone may save a new version of a fi le over your version, and your work will be lost.

To avoid saving over each other’s work, stay in communication with your classmates and try to avoid working at the same time.

ONE LAST TIP